Stem cell therapy promising for osteoarthritis of the knee

It seems like a new potential use of stem cell therapy is in the news almost every day. Recent studies have shown that stem cells have a positive effect on everything from multiple sclerosis to lung cancer. Now, we may be able to add osteoarthritis of the knee to the list of conditions that have been improved by stem cell therapy in clinical research settings.

Osteoarthritis of the knee is a common health problem in the United States, with more than 20 million Americans suffering from the disease. Loss of cartilage in the knee joint leads to reduced shock absorption when walking or doing other daily tasks, which can result in crippling pain.

The researchers, led by Dr. Nathan Wei of the Arthritis Treatment Center, found that administering adult stem cells to osteoarthritis patients helped to heal previous damage and even regenerate some of the cartilage itself. The stem cells, collected from adult bone marrow and fat, brought significant symptom relief to the arthritis patients in the study.

Wei is so optimistic about the results of this research that he predicts it may someday supplant knee replacement surgery altogether as the main treatment for osteoarthritis of the knee.

He said in a press release, "Osteoarthritis options in the past have been limited to symptom relief. We are now entering an era where we have therapies that may also rebuild lost cartilage… We are excited about the early results of our investigation and hope the results will continue to be positive. If so, I hope that knee replacement surgery might become a thing of the past."

For information about the stem cell therapies and other regenerative medicine treatments offered by the Longevity Centres of America, contact us today.